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On 1 October 2018 at 8.30 am, I walked into the Leapfrog office on my first day as their new HR and Payroll Services Manager. I sit here now at my desk taking some time out to reflect on the past couple of years. I was joining a reputable team; Leapfrog was established almost two decades ago and has been helping Guernsey businesses with recruitment ever since. Having started my HR career working…

Absence management can be tricky.  To be effective you need a balance between supporting your employees to stay in or return to work and ensuring the business is not affected by their absence. Managing sickness absence is inevitable for any employer, but if you have clear and appropriate policies in place this should assist with effectively supporting your employees. Your policies should…

Building back better following the Covid-19 pandemic is the hot topic right now, and quite rightly so. I guess the first thing to consider is whether we really are in a post Covid-19 place yet, or whether we are still en route. As all islanders are aware, Guernsey is fortunate to have had a long period of time with no active cases (as of time of writing this) so you…

Although it seems like it, it’s not a new topic. Flexibility in working hours has been key for many people, for a number of years. Juggling family and work life has always been a difficult balance and one that can bring with it an added level of anxiety for an employee. How do you get around school drop offs, picks, after school clubs, illness? The list is long and stressful. I work full time…

An induction programme is the process used to welcome new employees to a business and prepare them for their role.  Induction programmes can vary from a simple “tick box” approach completed on the first day to highly in-depth programmes lasting months There is no given rule as to which approach is right but there is a minimum amount of information that should be provided to all…

So there is still lots of talk on the working from home subject going. I promised my colleagues and myself when writing my last blog that I would go into further details on the pros and cons of working from home. As this still seems to be the hot topic (I am having lots of discussions on this with colleagues, clients and contacts) and something I am very passionate about (not only as a champion…

2020 The Pandemic Year, has students leaving school this year without physically having taken their GCSE and A ‘Levels exams. Some students have been working hard and preparing themselves for these important exams only to have the experience of exam taking, taken away from them. I am sure some will be relieved to not have the pressure of exam taking but there will be other students who may feel…

No one likes it when standards slip in any aspect of our lives. Leapfrog Recruitment we try to make sure our standards never slip. No matter how long we’ve been doing this job, we’re constantly conscious that securing a new role, career path etc can be an extremely stressful time for a person. We never take for granted the gravity of the role we play in making that possible. A negative…

So, in Guernsey we all seem to be talking about flexible working at the moment, and I have recently presented on this at the BPP 2020 Human Resource in Financial Services Forum, and have been working on policies with my clients for their businesses. In lockdown some of us were lucky enough to retain our jobs and work from home, but now we are out of lockdown and back in the office or looking at…

Not sure many of us saw 2020 panning out the way it has but the most important thing to remember is that there will be a recovery period. We have been very lucky that the States Of Guernsey, its teams, in front and behind the scenes, along with Dr Brink have guided us through this incredibly difficult time. The economic down side to a lockdown  is that some jobs have been lost,  some…

First impressions are incredibly important and none more so than when you are applying for a job. Your first encounter with your future employer starts when you send them your CV and covering letter. Most people think it’s at interview stage and plough lots of time and effort into researching and preparing for this, forgetting the other crucial elements that get you to that stage in the…

What is the exact nature of the Company’s business? Check out their website in advance. How many staff work there, what is the average age of staff, what is the Company culture etc? Has the Company been in the press lately, are there any controversial   announcements or decisions? Google to find out. To find out all of this information try the company web-site which will usually…